This invention relates to cutting apparatus for cutting steel rod off to predetermined length and conveying it to a desired location. The invention is particularly applicable to the cutting of steel rod of the kind used for concrete reinforcement.
A cutting installation of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,494. Feed and discharge tracks are provided in the form of rollways with lay-by or collector aprons at the sides. The head section of the discharge track tilts downwards and is fitted with a clamp which will retain the cut end sections, so that after completion of the cut the shears cannot lift the end sections as a result of the sudden relief. In order to adjust a cut length between two stops, the discharge track is moved relatively to the shears, so that the dimensional setting determined by the length between two stops can be achieved. This pre-supposes moving connections to hydraulic cylinders or the like, necessary to the displacement stroke of the discharge track. In order to exclude reliably a displacement due to impact of the rod, the discharge track also has a suitable safety means against this. On transferring the cut sections on the discharge track by transverse movement towards a collector located alongside the discharge track, the cut sections are not adjusted against a stop at a particular point on the collector apron, but are left in the original position achieved by longitudinal displacement of the discharge track for the purpose of fine adjustment before cutting. The alignment involves considerable movement. The cut lengths are limited at the bottom during cutting, since they have to be grasped at least by the head of the discharge track. The cut sections falling in the variable range between the head of the discharge track and the shears have no transport track, unless some auxiliary means are located previously in the discharge track or at the head.
Starting from this particular stage of technology, an object of the invention is to provide a cutting apparatus allowing the previously outlined difficulties to be alleviated of avoided. For a modest expense it should be possible to produce cut rod of accurately held dimension, allowing transfer in good alignment onto collector aprons, even in the case of very short lengths.